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Post by ely511 on Aug 11, 2008 19:26:49 GMT 1
OK....I'm putting my hand up above head with tin helmet firmly attached. We bought a house this year and have a 5 acre field which was bought by the previous owners from an absentee landowner who has a much larger field. ie. our 5 acres has been taken from a 30 acre field. Now, I am pretty sure that my field has ragwort. Not over all of it, but probably about half. I spoke to the farmer who has been responsible for maintaining it in the past and he said that there had been a 'few' ragwort plants that he had pulled up 'because it was the only way to get rid of it' but that the other plants were not ragwort. so..I have 3 problems: 1. How do I know without doubt that it is ragwort. (The farmer has topped it, so there are no flowering plants at the moment). 2. if it is, given that I am not planning to graze it for at least a year, what is the best way of dealing with it. When you spray. does it only kill the ragwort? 3. Given that my field is part of this much larger field that is not properly managed, will I not be fighting a losing battle?
There are no horses being grazed on these particular fields but there are horses nearby so I am anxious to get on top of it.
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gizzypop
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Post by gizzypop on Aug 12, 2008 22:31:09 GMT 1
It seems to have gone crazy this year, we've never pulled so much. We've even had to fence off an area and spray it.
Its true that for us the problem is the road sides but I've seen the council workers out pulling it but to be honest they are fighting a loosing battle think of how many miles of roadsides they have to maintainno sooner have they got to the end they would have to start again. If we were to actually pay for all of this to be removed our council taxes would be 3 times as much as they are now. Unfortunatley theres only so much resources to go round. I do feel sorry for the councils sometimes we want them to do the work but we don't want to pay for it. If we use community service bods or benefit claimers we would still have to pay for them to be supervised. Yes you guest it I worked for a council for many years and its not always as simple as them choosing not to do the work. If they had the money they would do it.
All we can do is make sure our fields are clear, and if you can do a bit more then pull your verge as well but don't put yourself in any danger.
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Post by confidentgal08 on Aug 12, 2008 23:15:08 GMT 1
i am one of the lucky ones which ragwot is not popping up.
we were at a yard where there was ragwort and when i approched her about getting this sprayed or team effort in puling i was blanky looked at as if i had just grown two heads. Needless to say we soon moved yards.
one thing doing your own paddock but when others dont maintain the one next to yours whats the point, so opted to leave.
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Post by VeronicaF on Aug 13, 2008 7:28:01 GMT 1
well our council haven't even a dog warden at the moment, so what chance have we got to get them to sort the ragwort out? on a positive note, you know the saying, when you want something done do it yourself. well I spent a evening in my neighbours garden and his land , unkown to him.and I pulled up all his ragwort up. which would blow into the garden and the land we will be moving to soon
you see his ragwort is blowing from --coming from the roard verges, then once with him the way the wind blows , the seeds go on the land and garden we are going to.
I really need to do grass verges too, but there is so much of it,its endless.
I have made a big improvment already so will keep battling away before we move there.
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Post by sarahbing on Aug 13, 2008 9:51:15 GMT 1
We moved house about three years ago and our new paddocks were heavily infested with ragwort. I used Barrier H - an environmentally friendly herbicide (yes really!) based on citronella. It has worked brilliantly. I sprayed all the seedlings year 1, then dug out any remaining plants when they appeared later in the summer. Year 2 same thing as its a biannual plant. Its very labour intensive but worth it. The spray is not harmful to livestock but you have to keep horses away for 2 weeks as the dying plants become more palatable. Thats what the manufactureres recommend although personally I would leave it 6 weeks. Its very easy to use as the plants start going black within half an hour so you can see were you have sprayed and which ones you missed. Year 3 and I only had one ragwort flowering ( which was dug up) Pheww! You can't take this too seriously. If you are at livery and they don't share your views, move! It's really not worth the risk. Hope this helps
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Post by ely511 on Aug 13, 2008 14:22:16 GMT 1
Sarahbing: Thanks for that. I shall look into Barrier H and get started.
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pamcho
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Post by pamcho on Aug 16, 2008 6:38:54 GMT 1
The same where we live. I phoned the well known animal cruelty protection association and the officer I spoke to wasn't aware of the plant or the dangers and legal stance? This was when there were some ponies in a field, unknown land owner, who only had ragwort to eat. Luckily it was cleared within the week and ponies had hay put in. But it is just everywhere. Our yard owners are very good at keeping any unwanted weeds at bay, but a hard job when neighbours may not be as concientious.
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Post by wally on Aug 17, 2008 18:17:45 GMT 1
We have a horse welfare officer with fields full, darned near a cash crop of the stuff, and the ponies are all in there grazing. Whoopee do! My business partner has such a thing over it I had to almost physically stop her baggin and binning an entry at the local agricultural show, It was in the children's wild flower arangements, a little kiddie had used his sit-upon plastic tractor and trailer to arrange his flowers in.......only quite a lot of it consisted of pretty little ragwort flowers.
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Post by LuckyRed on Aug 18, 2008 11:53:54 GMT 1
ragwort grows like magic! We get seeds blowing down off the Ridgeway so have to keep a good eye on the horrible stuff - you can pick the field clean, turn round and there is a large rosette that you'd swear was not there 2 seconds earlier!
What's the best way to get rid of it - should it be burnt or does the heat of a big muck heap kill it sufficiently?
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Post by sarahbing on Aug 18, 2008 20:53:23 GMT 1
Definitely burn it! Don't be tempted to put it in the compost heap or out with the rubbish as the seeds will survive and flourish and become someone else's problem. Its a great time to pull up any flowering plants right now as they are out there practically waving at us! Then spray the rosettes autumn and again in spring. Keep at it - it is worth it
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Post by LuckyRed on Aug 19, 2008 12:53:09 GMT 1
I've been pulling the rosettes up - sometimes the root snaps as it is longer than the rag fork can reach - a friend recommends pouring salt down the hole to kill the root - does anyone know if this works?
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Leanne
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Post by Leanne on Aug 19, 2008 13:30:17 GMT 1
Am I right in thinking that the seedlings grow throughout the year?
Therefore he ragwort will be growing through winter also?
If i'm reading that article right?
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Post by xx ponyclubber xx on Aug 20, 2008 22:37:10 GMT 1
oki
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Rimrock
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Post by Rimrock on Aug 21, 2008 22:53:43 GMT 1
Just to add a little. I've just got home from a site in south Wales, near Milford Haven and on the route home there is a little place called Merlins Bridge. In a field next to the road there are about 5 mares with foals at foot grazing in a field with more ragwort than grass. Any one down there?
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